Wen Tzu - Verse 37, Part II

from Verse Thirty-Seven

If you always nurture life and embrace virtue, this can be called ability to understand and embody the Way.

When that is the case, there is no stagnating blockage in the blood vessels, no accumulated energies in the organs; neither calamity nor fortune can upset you, neither censure or praise can defile you.

~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~

In the last few decades, western science has caught on to what the Chinese metaphysicians have known for thousands of years -- our spiritual and emotional selves play a huge role in the well-being (or lack thereof) of our physical forms, our bodies.

People who are more at peace with themselves and the world around them tend to be healthier. Conversely, people who are angry and filled with hate tend to be less healthy.

This is not to say that folks with a positive outlook don't face the same difficulties as the rest of us; they do indeed! What is different is how they react. While a person like yours truly frequently will fret and become anxious, people with a more balanced outlook tend to take things more in stride. Because they stay on a more even keel, their bodies don't become reservoirs for stress and tension.

The less stress and tension the body must endure, the better and longer it tends to work which, by the way, helps to put the mind and spirit more at ease.

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.